Cultivating a Healthy Food System

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The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is a triweekly California Certified Farmers Market operated by CUESA at the San Francisco Ferry Building. Since 1993, the market has served as a crucial link between urban dwellers and local farmers.

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Tour the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

Welcome to CUESA’s online tour of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market!

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is organized and managed by CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture. Our mission is to promote a sustainable food system through the operation of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and its educational programs.

California certified. The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is a Certified Farmers Market. California Certified Farmers Markets are locations where only California Certified Producers can sell farm products. All of the farmers who sell at our market are certified as producers by the counties in which they grow. Growers submit to their county a production list complete with crop types, number of acres, location, estimated harvest and harvest season. Based on this information, a Producer’s Certificate is issued and the county’s Agricultural Inspector visits the farm to confirm that the farm is growing what they claim to be.

Artisans and purveyors. Products that are not produced and sold by Certified Producers are available in a noncertified, adjunct portion of each market. These items include non-farmstead cheeses and preserves, breads, hot foods, and some meats. Some of the artisans and purveyors who sell at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market buy ingredients from our farmers to create their products.

History of the market. The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market began in September of 1992 as a one-time “Harvest Market,” with farmers and local restaurants gathering on a Sunday morning in the middle of the Embarcadero roadway. Only three years earlier, a two-tiered freeway ran along this roadway, separating the city from its waterfront and the historic Ferry Building. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake buckled a portion of the freeway, and with its removal came the opportunity to re-envision the waterfront.

The markets. The success of the first market paved the way for the establishment of a weekly Saturday farmers market the following spring. In 2003, we moved our operations to the renovated Ferry Building. The Saturday farmers market now operates year-round from 8 am to 2 pm, and is host to over 120 vendors over the course of the year. We also host two weekday markets.

Weekday markets. The Tuesday Market, started in 1995, and the Thursday market has been in operation in its current state since 2009. Both are year-round from 10 am to 2 pm. The market is a popular place for people who work in the area to come for lunch and bring home fresh ingredients for dinner. At peak season, the market features over 30 sellers.

The setting. Both of our farmers markets are located at the historic Ferry Building at the base of Market Street on the Embarcadero, offering a picturesque view of the Bay. Both the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and the Ferry Building are hubs for not only transportation, but also culinary delights. While the farmers market and the permanent merchants inside the Ferry Building share the goal of celebrating food, the inside merchants are private retail operations, not part of the farmer market.

The food. Food sold at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is different from most of the food eaten in America today; it tastes better, and the way it is produced and distributed is better for both humans and the environment.

Freshness. Food from the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is usually much fresher than what is available at the supermarket. Instead of entering a distribution system that sometimes delivers food to eaters weeks after it was harvested, the food that comes to the market is often picked the day before it is sold, or even that very morning. Food eaten in the U.S. travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to plate, while food traveling to the farmers market travels an average of just 100 miles. This means it gets here more quickly and requires fewer polluting fossil fuels to transport. Freshness is important not just for taste but also for nutrition.

Variety. Have you ever seen cardoons, pawpaws or purple carrots at the supermarket? Farmers markets help preserve the biodiversity of food plants by offering unique crops, varieties and breeds. Large-scale growers who ship their products for processing or to grocery chains tend to grow only one variety because they select for productivity, uniformity, and durability; farmers who sell directly to consumers can choose their varieties based on what all eaters want: flavor.

Seasonality. Buying produce locally means eating what is in season. At the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, each season's offerings are distinct and delicious. See seasonal highlights for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Visit CUESA's seasonality charts to look up specific items.

Sustainability. A sustainable food system uses practices that are socially just, environmentally sound, economically competitive, humane, and resource-conserving. Sustainable agriculture uses those same practices. Each farmer has different practices, but the farms at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market tend to farm more sustainably than the average American farm. They generally use fewer pesticides, take better care of the soil, and cause less runoff and pollution. One benefit of farmers markets is that shoppers can ask growers directly about their methods. See our sustainability page to learn more.

Organic. Organic food is produced without using synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, bioengineered seeds, or ionizing radiation. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Certified organic growers must follow a set of rules, pass inspections, provide documentation, and pay a fee to become certified. About 45% of the farms that sell at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market are certified organic. Many others are not certified organic but use ecological farming practices.

The market community. The market is a place where urban and rural communities connect and people meet to shop, socialize and celebrate their love of good food. Direct marketing encourages interaction between shoppers, farmers, vendors, visitors and chefs. Farmers get feedback directly from their customers and sometimes even grow items at the specific request of a home cook or professional chef; they also benefit by taking home more of each dollar that is spent at the market. Urban shoppers see the faces of the people who grow the food they eat, and ask questions about how the food is grown.

Educational programs. While the farmers market is itself educational, part of CUESA's mission is to offer programs that present in-depth information about sustainable agriculture and food systems. At our popular Saturday Market to Table programs, shoppers learn how to cook with the seasons and get an opportunity to meet the people who grow their food. We also hold monthly celebrations of agriculture. Our Sustainable Agriculture A to Z photo exhibit depicts concepts in sustainable agriculture on 8 by 8 foot panels in the arcades of the Ferry Building.

Helpful services. On both market days, CUESA sets up an information booth. At the booth, there are recipes to take home, profiles of the farms that sell at the market, maps of the day's market layout, and other useful information. The information booth offers parking validation for certain lots and, on Saturdays, a service called the Veggie Valet which allows customers to drop off heavy groceries while they shop. Federal Food Stamps can also be redeemed at the information booth through the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program.

Visit. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, or are planning a trip here, visit the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market! If you don't live near San Francisco, you're still in luck, because ours is just one of a growing number of of places to buy local, sustainably produced food in California and the United States--there is bound to be one near you! Visit localharvest.org to find out where you can buy food directly from the farmer and support a sustainable food system in your region. Enjoy!

About CUESA

CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) is dedicated to cultivating a sustainable food system through the operation of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and its educational programs. Learn More »